In Season 6, we introduced our incredibly popular Fleet Starbase feature. This holding allowed fleet members to work together and contribute to a single greater goal to not only build the fleet’s very own Starbase, but also unlock excellent personal rewards. In Season 7, our second fleet holding, the Embassy, was released. This was our first fleet outpost and it continued to give fleets, both large and small, reasons to work together to achieve meaningful goals.We are excited to be able to reveal our next Fleet Outpost. The Dilithium Mine will be hitting the live servers soon! This holding focuses on improving fleet project efficiency and giving fleet members the opportunity to earn additional dilithium ore every day in a variety of ways.Environment

First off, the Dilithium Mine’s environments are breathtaking. Much like your Starbase, you first enter into a space region. Players entering into this area for the first time are definitely in for a treat.After unlocking Tier I within the Dilithium Mine track, you’ll gain access to the Dilithium Mine’s interior. Here, you’ll gain access to a handful of vendors and contacts and get a glimpse of what Tier 2 has in store. Upon unlocking Tier 2, you’ll gain access to the stunning exterior region of the asteroid itself. Make sure to bring your EV suit! By using your Environmental Suit’s Reaction Thrusters you’ll be able to easily explore this area. Additionally, fleet members will be able to participate in daily dilithium mining missions.Progression

The Dilithium Mine can be compared to the Embassy for effort and resources required to progress through it. Also like the Embassy holding, it has one main track and two sub-tracks.Dilithium Mine (Main Track)Progressing through the main track of the Dilithium Mine will reward the fleet with expanded environments, discounts on dilithium costs, daily dilithium mining missions and other amenities. This track gains experience via completion of upgrading your Trade and Development sub-tracks. Some of the reward highlights for the Dilithium Track are:

Three tiers of discounts on fleet project dilithium input costs

Construction projects that unlock discounts on most dilithium stores for all fleet members

Daily dilithium mining missions

Daily mission to refine additional Dilithium Ore beyond your cap

Trade (Sub-Track)Upgrading the Trade track will grant fleet project item input discounts and access to advanced engineering consoles. The rewards found in this sub-track are:

Development (Sub-Track)Progressing through the development sub-track will grant fleet mark discounts on fleet projects, access to special duty officers and duty officer assignments, as well as fleet warp cores. The specific rewards found in this sub-track are:

Three tiers of discounts on fleet mark fleet project input costs

Advanced Fleet Warp Cores Mk XII

Advanced Fleet Singularity Warp Cores Mk XII

Elite Fleet Warp Cores Mk XII

Elite Fleet Singularity Warp Cores MK XII

Miner Duty Officers

Mining Duty Officer Assignments

Q&A

How did fleets gain rights to build this outpost in the Vlugta asteroid field?This asteroid field was originally held by the Vlugta, a species relatively new to interstellar travel who were uncomfortable with an alliance with a major power. The Vlugta found kindred spirits in the Remans who broke away from the Romulan Star Empire, granting them the license to operate the asteroid field. But when Obisek needed assistance for the fight against the Tal Shiar, he turned to the Ferengi, giving them the asteroid field rights in exchange for critical supplies to help survivors from Crateris.Always looking to make deals, the Ferengi operators opened negotiations with Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force. Those talks have yielded a permanent contract that provides benefits to all parties involved. The Ferengi have agreed to give a small section of the dilithium field to interested Federation and Klingon fleets in the form of a land grant. In exchange, those fleets will provide protection for the asteroid field. Of course, the deal could not be complete without some form of profit potential for the Ferengi, and as such, they will be supplying those fleets with EV suits, mining supplies and other goods at "reasonable" prices.How do I access the Dilithium Mine?You can find the Dilithium Mine holding in the holdings tab in your fleet window. All fleets will have access to the Dilithium Mine space map immediately. However, Tier 1 of the holding’s main track must be unlocked before fleet members can enter the mine.Where is the Dilithium Mine?The physical location of the Dilithium Mine is near the Dilithium Mining station in the Beta Ursae Block. However, you can unlock a transwarp option that will transport you from your Starbase to the Dilithium Mine.Does the interior and exterior of the mine change as new tiers are unlocked?Absolutely! You’ll see progress being made on your Dilithium Mine during each stage on the space map. The interior portion of the map starts off fairly basic, and force fields will block your access to the exterior ground map. Upon reaching Tier 2 in the Dilithium Mine track, the exterior ground becomes accessible.Will there be special featured projects available for the Dilithium Mine?Yes! These featured projects are a great way to add additional life to both the interior and exterior. Completing them can truly transform the Dilithium Mine’s environments.Are there dilithium inputs required for the Dilithium Mine projects?Yes, but there are fewer than the Embassy holding. Basically, any construction project that will result in a dilithium discount or dilithium ore rewarding mission will not cost dilithium.Will the fleet discounts apply retroactively?Once a fleet discount has been unlocked, it will apply itself to all future projects.Do the fleet discounts also apply to the Dilithium Mine?Fleet project discounts apply to all fleet holdings. This includes: Starbase, Embassy and Dilithium Mine projects. It’s also important to note that these discounts will also be applied to any future holdings and outposts.I’ve already maxed out my Starbase and Embassy. What do these discounts do for me?Besides also reducing the input costs on Dilithium Mine holding fleet projects, these discounts will be applied to future holdings and outposts. There are also a lot of benefits provided from the Dilithium Mine that aren’t discount related. There are some highly desirable consoles and warp cores that can only be obtained through progressing through this holding.

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The Dilithium Mine will provide another avenue of progression for fleets and allow them to offer more rewards and benefits to their members. These, along with the new social environment and new possibilities, combine to provide fun, interesting, and most of all, Trek experience for the fleets in STO.We hope you are all enjoying Legacy of Romulus, and can’t wait to see the progress your fleets are certain to make on the new Dithium Mine Outpost. We’ll see you in-game!Phil "Gorngonzolla" ZeleskiSystems DesignerStar Trek Online